Geneva, Switzerland
April 15th, 2021
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Symbiotics becomes a Certified B Corporation®; rated among the highest in Switzerland
Symbiotics is proud to announce that the firm has completed the process to become a Certified B Corporation®, joining a global community of companies assessed on the highest standards of social and environmental performance and ethical business practices.
Symbiotics was certified by the non-profit organization B Lab on 22 March 2021 with 116.1 points. Symbiotics has modified its bylaws to reiterate its already-established commitment to purpose beyond financial profit. The results of the very comprehensive B Impact Assessment provide an important benchmark for the company and a path to further improve certain areas and take specific actions in the years to come.
Roland Dominicé, CEO of Symbiotics, stated:
“We strive to make impact investing a real force for achieving sustainability goals. This certification demonstrates that Symbiotics is on the right path, pushing money to where it doesn’t normally flow. We are very happy to join a strong and growing community of B Corps™ certified companies and hope to be an example for other companies to follow.”
The B Corp Certification looked at every aspect of the business, covering five key impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. Recent attention to the impact investing industry makes Symbiotics’ B Corp Certification a notable step and signals a shift towards greater accountability and transparency in the sector.
B Corps are a growing group of companies that are reinventing business, by pursuing purpose as well as profit. These include well-known brands such as Patagonia, 32 companies of the Danone Group, Triodos and Lombard Odier, to name a few.
Jonathan Normand, Director of B Lab Switzerland, said:
“B Lab is delighted to welcome Symbiotics to the B Corp Community. Symbiotics has been a pioneer in the impact investing industry bridging the gap between socially minded investors and entrepreneurs in emerging markets by providing bespoke and innovative solutions, while remaining driven by strong ethical values and an undeterred vision to improve the human capacity of living together on the planet. I look forward to seeing Symbiotics inspire other businesses to join the B Corp™ community and use business as a force for good.”
About Symbiotics
Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, dedicated to financing micro- small and medium enterprises and low- and middle-income households in emerging and frontier markets. Since 2005, Symbiotics has structured and originated some 4,000 deals for over 450 companies in almost 90 emerging and frontier markets representing more than USD 5.5 billion. These investments have been purchased by more than 25 fund mandates and more than 50 third party specialized fund managers, forming a growing ecosystem and marketplace for such transactions.
About B Lab Switzerland
B Lab Switzerland is the Swiss branch of a global non-profit organization that supports a community of people using business as a force for good. A historic global culture shift is underway to harness the power of business to help address society’s greatest challenges. B Lab envisions a world where businesses have environmental preservation and social well-being at their core and manage their impacts. We believe that the business community can be part of the solution to global problems like wealth inequality, climate change, and social unrest. This requires redefining the role businesses hold in society: businesses should compete not to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. We aim to accelerate this shift.
For more information, contact:
Samy Derradji, Corporate Communication Manager, Symbiotics